Hinge



I Patented May 14, 1940 f HINGE Harold E. Van Voorhees, Detroit, Mich.,assigner to The Atwood Vacuum Machine Company, a

co-partnership composed of Seth B. Atwood and James T. Atwood, Rockford,lll.

Application May 12, 1931, serial No. 142,096

calms. (ci. 16-135) This invention relates to a new and improvedVconcealed'hinge for the doors of motor vehicles, and is more.particularly concerned with improvee ments on the ball-and-socket typeconcealed 5 x hinge .disclosed in my earlier application Serial .-No.128,356, filed March 1, 1937.`

One ofthe principal objects of the present invention is to. provide ahinge of the kind mentioned of simpler and more economical construc- 1|)tion, and one which at the same time is stronger 'f therein forfastening the socket member 1 to and more rigid and easier to install.

Another object is to provide a hinge having the socket member thereofofstamped sheet metal construction and designed so as to use a 1livyminimum amount of material for low cost, while at the same timeincorporating outwardly bent anges around the slotted portions to obtainthe desired strength and rigidity.

AThe invention is illustrated in the accompany- 2 ing drawing, whereinFigure 1 is a partial side view of an automobile,

l l the doors of `which are equipped' with concealed f hinges made inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section'on the linef2-2l of Fig. l, on a largerscale, showing an end elevation of the hinge; 1

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2,.looking at thebackof the hinge, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line4-4 0f Fig. 3.

The same reference numerals are applied to `corresponding Ipartsthroughout the views.

Referring ilrst to Figs. 2 to 4, and mainly Fig. 4, 5 designates thepillar and 6 the door, but itv will soon be evident that it isimmaterial whether the socket member 1 and gooseneck member 8 of myimproved ball-and-socket hinge lare mounted onthe pillar and door,respective- .ly,.or vice versa. The gooseneck memberv 8 comofprises anL-shapeduneck or shank 9 terminating iat.,y one end in a ball head I0,and having the `other end reduced and formed to oblong cross- ,section,as indicated at and entered in a correspondingly shaped hole |2 in aplate I3, the 57..reduced end being either upset or welded atits-,extremity |4 to secure the parts together. `Horizontalslots I5 inthe plate |3 receive bolts I6 llwhich thread inholes in a ktappingplatel |1 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the inside of anindented portion i8 on the edge of the door-,9. The outside of thisindented portion provides -a flat seatA |9 for engagement by the plate.I3.. The neck orshank 9 of the gooseneck member operates with ampleclearance in a horizofntal slot 20 in ,onemside -wall ofthe innerchannel-shaped member 2| oi the pillar 5. The

web 22 oi this channel-shaped member provides a seat for the socketmember 1, a portion of the web being embossed, as at 23, to provide farecess Yin the hinge seat for the socket 24. The 5 socket member 1comprises simply two plates 25 and 25 formed uat the centers to providehalf of the socket 24 in the plate 25 and the other half in the plate26.' Registering horizontal slots 21 in the plates 25 and 25 have bolts28 entered l0 the pillar, the bolts being passed through holes i in theweb 22 and threaded in nuts 29,' welded or otherwise suitably secured onthe.opp0site Iace ofthe web. The plates 25 and 26 forming 15 `the socketmember1 are held together by rivets socket member 1, sumcient to allowthe door 6 to swing open to a position approximately at right anglestothe body 5. The'sheet metal alongside the slot 32 yis bent' outwardlyto pro- 25 v lvide a reenforcing flange 33 extending the full length ofthe slot.

In regard to the mounting of the doors, it. must rst be understood thatthe tapping plates |1 and nuts 29 are so accurately located on'the 3i)Adoors and pillars that the hinged edges of the doors will be hung at theright elevation in the door openings, or near enough for practicalpurposes. Shims 34-31 are entered f in the door opening around the door,as illustrated in Fig. 1, 35 when the two hinges, indicated at A and B,have lbeen loosely secured in place; that is to say, with'the bolts i6and 28 threaded in placeloose- 'ly`enough to allow the gooseneck andsocket members to shift horizontally relative to the 40. hinge seats.These shims are usually wedge shaped and are adjusted by a workmaninside the car, until the door has been wedged in approximately thedesired position, centrally locatv ed in the door opening and properlylined up 45 with the body and the other door 5'. The latter has its pairof hinges A'J and B' and will be shimmed in a similar manner, althoughno shims are indicated on Fig. 1. In view of the fact that 'the hingeseatsl 9 onthe door are in a plane at 50 right angles to the hinge seats22 on the body, and thegooseneck members 3 are adjustable in and out onthe seats I9 and the socket members 1 are adjustable back and forth onthe seats 22,

I it is clear that all of ythe necessary adjustments cross piece or ller39 forming the innerv wall s of the channel member 2l ofthe door pillar.In a similar manner, while the bolts I6 areloose, so that the gooseneckmembers 8 are slidable in and outon the seats I9, it is clear that thedoor can be adjusted in the manner described, and whenproperlyadjustedcan be held in fixed relation to the hinges `by thetightening of the bolts IB. The rst tightening of thesebolts,sufi'lci'ent to maintain the adjustment; can be accomplished with an endwrench from inside the body before the door is opened andthe shimsremoved. Care will be taken inthe opening of thev doors not to cause thehinge members" to shift in relation tothe doors and pillars, and whenthe Vdoors are opened, all off-the bolts IB can, of course, be tightenedup. Then the doors can be closed again to recheck their adjustment, and,while I have not shown dowels -for permanently locating the hingemembers with respect to the 4doors and body, it should be understoodthat these may be provided in a similar manner as disclosed in thecopending application of Seth B. Atwood, Serial N0. 135,068, filed April5, 1937,

namely, by simply providing holes in the plates I3, 25l and 26, anddrilling holesin the vhinge seats in register with these holes afterthedoors have been properly adjusted, and drivingksteel dowel pins into theregistering holes to prevent shifting vof the parts from adjustedpositions.

It should be clear from this description that `I have provided aconcealed ball-and-socket hinge for the doors of motor vehicles of an.extremely ing to reenforce the plate at that portionpf practical andcommercially feasible design and construction, inasmuch as it can beproduced at a low enough cost to be competitive with the. old stylepintle hinges, and its design is such that it lends itself to easyassembling on the doors and pillars of cars of present-day construction.It is obvious 'that the ball heads I0 swivelled in their sockets`24 eachdetermines a single point of suspension, and these twov points thus xedde-v termine the hinging axis of the doors in a plane inwardly spacedfrom the curved outside surfaces of the door and body portions. As aresult, the doors swing uniformly smoothly throughout their` range ofopening, and since the socketsI are just inside the .outer wallof thepillars next to the joint line between the doors andpillars, the hingeaxes are properly located for a large enough range of door movement andgive ample vclearance between the doors and the curved outside of-thebody. 'Ihe fact that the hinges are not bent in any way to make thedoors t, as was previously the practice with pintle hinges,eliminatesthe likelihood of the hinges being placed under any stress andthere is accordingly no binding whatever and no danger of playdeveloping and giving rise to door rattling, it being generally concededthat with the old style pintle hingesgnost of the wear and consequentdoor rattle was due to misalignment resulting from the bending of thehinges in the mounting of the doors. Furthermore, these ball-and-sockethinges afford a much lower unit bearing pressure than the old stylepintle hinges, so that wear is'greatly reduced and longer life assured.y i It is believed the foregoing description conveys a goodunderstanding of the objects and ad-l 2,2oo,s1a

vantages of my invention. Thev appended rclaims have been drawnfwith aview to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim: k Y Y 1. vAs an article of manufacture, a socket mem'- ber for,a ball-and-jsocket hinge-comprising two flat-sheet metal plates yhayingasocket to receive the ball member therebetween, said socket formedpartly by a substantially hemispherical recessed portion intermediatethe ends of one plate and partly by another substantially hemisphericalre A cessed portion in and intermediate the ends of4 `the otherplate'registering therewith, the one recessed portion having anelongated opening pro-.-

vided -in the wall thereof for extension there- 15 vthrough of a neck ontheball and oscillation o through substantially 90, the 'opposed end-portions and having means for securing the-same tober in place in thesocket for oscillatory ,move- `4tions of said plates constitutingattaching porbeingv formed to provide'a continuous outwardly;

projecting flange `defining the opening and serv.

2. As an article of manufacture,` a socket member for aball-and-s'ockethinge comprisingvr two at sheet metal plates having aysocket to receive the ball member therebetweemsaid socket formed partly`by a substantially hemispherical-recessed portion intermediate the endsof one plate yand partly by another substantially hemispherical-recessedportion in and intermediate the ends of the other plate registeringtherewith, the opposed end portions of said plates constitutingattaching portions and having means-'for securing the same together soas to conne the ball of the ball member in place in the socket foroscillatory movement, the one recessed portion ,having an elongatedopening provided in the wall thereof transversely withrespect to saidplate .and extending from one edge ofthe plate inwardly to the recessedportion for'extension therethrough of a neck on the ball and oscillationthrough nearly 90.'` and the other recessed portion having a registeringelongated opening provided portion having the elongated opening providedtherein being formed to provide a 'continuous U,. shaped flangeextending inwardlyv along one side of theopening and around the innerend of the opening on the'recessed portion and outwardly along the otherside of the opening-said flange projecting outwardly from the plane ofthe plate.

3. A hinge. comprising cooperating ball-and-/i n socket members. theball member-comprising a ball head and a goose-neck-extending therefromland adapted to be attached at its remote end to one of two relativelyhingedl parts', thelsocket member being `adapted to be secured to the other of two relatively hinged parts "and comprising two *elongated`sheet metal plates,` .one having a transverse-,slot provided thereinintermediate the ends thereof` extend-v ing from one edge inwardly andcommuni- -cating'with one side of a Asubstantially semispherical socketportion projecting out ofthe plane of the sheet metal of said plate,yand the therein in register with the first slot extending from the edgeof the second plate inwardly and 4other plate having a transverse slotprovidedl stantially semi-spherical portion protruding fromcommuniaungwith meriti-ev of another sub- \stantially semi-sphericalsocket portion projecty -ing out of the plane ofthe sheet metal of theseeondplate in register with the first-named semispherical socket'portion, the slot in the second plate being extended along the wall ofthe socket portion f ar enough to provide clearance therein forthe-gooseneckof the ball member throughout. a range of approximately 90of swinging movement of the ball member relative to the socket member,said second platehaving a continuous U-shaped flange extending inwardlyalong one side of the transverse slot and around the inner l.end of theyslot on the socket portion and outwardly along the other side of thetransverse slot. the iiange projecting outwardly from the plane of theplate.

, 4. A hinge for the door of a motor vehicle, comprising an angulargooseneck adapted to be sethe plane of one of said plates and formedfrom the sheet metal thereof and half by another opposed hollow,substantially semi-spherical portion protruding from the plane of theother of said plates and formed from the sheet metal thereof inregistering relation with the first-mentioned semi-spherical portion,the bali head having a swivel flt in said socket, and the wall of atleast one of said semi-spherical portions having an elongated horizontalslot provided therein through which the goosene'ck extends for swingingmovement relative to the Lsocket through substantially 90 in the openingand closing movements' of the door, said slot being extended from thesocket to the adjacent edge of the plate, and said plate being formed toprovide a continuous outwardly projecting flange dening the slot andserving to reenforce the, plate at the slotted portion.

5. A hinge as set i'orth in claim 4, wherein the other plate also has anelongated opening provided therein in register with saidslot, theopening extending from the edge of said-plate inwardly 'to thesemi-spherical socket portion thereof so as to provide an increasedrange of swinging movement for the gooseneck.

HAROLD n. van vooarmss.

